Yu Gi Oh! The Duelists of the Roses [PS2]

Collectible games are hot properties in the children's game market these days, with Pokemon and Yu Gi Oh! leading the charge through children's hearts and their parent's wallets. With so much money being spent on these types of games, it was only a matter of time before a publisher snapped up one of the licenses and converted the game from the physical to the electronic. Konami has done just that by obtaining the rights to the Yu Gi Oh! strategy card game and using it to produce Yu Gi Oh!: The Duelists of the Roses for the PlayStation 2. While it may have seemed like a great idea, it actually ends up a pretty dull experience that only the most hardcore fans of the card game will enjoy.

Gameplay
The game starts with a little history lesson: there are two warring factions in Europe and they are using the mystical powers granted by decks of cards to fight their battles. It's gotten to the point where something drastic needs to be done to tip the scales in one side's favor, and so a Druid is brought in to summon a duelist from the future. That duelist is you, and when you appear in the game, you'll be treated to aforementioned history lesson through several minutes of on-screen dialog. After your lesson, you dare asked to choose a side to fight for, which determines the types of cards you will be given at the beginning of play.

After the game's introduction, you can either take the non-interactive tutorial, or jump straight into the game. If you've never played the Yu Gi Oh! card game before, you'll want to view the tutorial, which is long, but certainly covers all the bases. What it all boils down to is that you're dealt a random deck of cards which contain monsters and magic powers. The monsters vary in their offensive and defensive ratings, and the magic cards can be used to boost your powers while also setting traps for your opponents. You place your cards on the board so as to defend your position while attacking your opponent's weak points. There's nothing more to the gameplay, just a lot of placing cards on the board, adjusting their position, and watching the battles play out in some short animated sequences. While the tutorial makes it sound like the game requires a sound strategy, you'll quickly find the game really hinges on the power of the deck you're dealt.

Graphics
The graphics in The Duelists of the Roses make little use of the power of the PS2. The game is played out on a 3D grid, which offers little visual appeal. Avatars for your leader and 3D animations of cards in motion help to alleviate some of the visual boredom, but after just a short while, the low-quality graphics become incredibly tiresome. Combat rounds are played out in animated cutscenes, but even these become repetitive and actually annoying after a bit, forcing you to turn them off in the options menu. No visual component of this game can be considered eye-popping or even vaguely interesting.

Sound
Just like the graphics, the sound within this title is barely passable. There's very little music within the game, and once you hear it, you'll be glad there's so little of it. It's low-end home synthesizer tunes at best.

Replayability
Nil. Sorry to be so glib about it, but only an avid fan of the original Yu Gi Oh! card game could appreciate this title in the first place, and they would be the only type of person to find any enjoyment in repeatedly playing this game.

Overall
There's really nothing about this title that makes it terribly compelling except for its licensed ties to the card game of the same name. Yu Gi Oh! fans may enjoy this title, but everyone else will tire of it. I wouldn't even suggest renting this title unless you're a fan of the card game or have a child in your house that is.

See more screens on the Yu Gi Oh! media page

-- Ted Brockwood

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